Belugas, Bears and Blooms

Day 01

Welcome to Winnipeg

My adventure begins in Winnipeg, Frontiers North’s gateway to their Churchill adventures. After checking into my hotel, I meet with the rest of the tour group and our Frontiers North Interpretive Guide. Our first order of business is a journey of discovery through the beautiful city of Winnipeg.

We tour Manitoba’s largest city by bus, with stops at the infamous Manitoba Legislative Building, the historical Exchange District, a visit to St. Boniface – a charming French-speaking community in the heart of the city – and a stop at The Forks, Winnipeg’s most celebrated public space and the spot where the Assiniboine River and Red River meet.

In the evening our guide hosted a welcome dinner for our tour group so that we could get to know our fellow travelers better and learn more about our upcoming adventure into the north.

Day 02

Churchill Adventure Begins

Our second day starts off with an early morning flight to Churchill. The two-hour flight takes us from the prairies of central Manitoba, over boreal forest and finally to the colourful tundra of Churchill.

Upon landing, we set out on a Churchill and area tour to explore the area surrounding the town of Churchill. Our Interpretive Guide teaches us all about the historical significance of the places we visit: Cape Merry; the site of a crashed airplane affectionately known by locals as Miss Piggy; and Manitoba Conservation’s Polar Bear Holding Facility (aka the Polar Bear Jail). We even had time to stop to enjoy a walk along the coast of the Hudson Bay – bring your bug spray!

After lunch our group also spends time visiting the Parks Canada Visitor Centre. After a busy first day in Churchill, our group enjoys dinner at a wonderful little family-run restaurant.

Photo © Doug Ross

Day 03

Beluga Whales, Prince of Wales Fort and Dog Carting

This morning we join a local dog musher for an exciting dog carting excursion through the boreal forest—what a rush! Our host introduces us to his team of sled dogs and explains to us the importance of dog sledding in northern culture and history. Next, we pay a visit to Churchill's Itsanitaq Museum, home to one of the most extensive Inuit Art collections in the world!

This afternoon is our first encounter with Churchill’s beautiful beluga whales! We search for beluga whales in the Churchill River by boat and then stop for a walking tour at the historical Prince of Wales Fort where we learn about the famous explorers who lived at the fort in the 18^th Century and how they managed to survive in Churchill’s harsh climate. 

Day 04

Tundra Buggy Adventure

Today we get to go on a Tundra Buggy adventure into the vast and colourful Churchill Wildlife Management Area! In the morning we hop on a Tundra Buggy and head out onto the tundra in search of summer polar bears, arctic foxes, hares, and more types of plants and flowers than you can imagine growing in the North!

Photo © Handcraft Creative

Day 05

Beluga Whale Zodiac Tour

Sadly, it's our last day in Churchill. But before we leave we get to go out onto the Churchill River again! We start our day with a Zodiac boat tour on the Churchill River, zipping up and down the river looking for pods of curious whales. They follow us so closely and seem to love the bubbles coming from the Zodiac!

In the afternoon our group has some free time to explore Churchill’s gift shops and local tourist sights. We of course had to take our picture in front of the Inukshuk on the coast of Hudson’s Bay! Then it's back to the airport for our return flight to Winnipeg, where the group checks back into our hotel for a good night’s rest – a perfect time to go over the thousands of pictures I took!

Photo © Belinda Fitzpatrick

Day 06

Depart Winnipeg

My Churchill adventure is over and I’m heading home – but I have a lot of wonderful photos to show my friends and family!